Archive | Urban Agriculture

[This is part of streets.mn’s “transpo convo” series, which aims to be an oral history of getting around the Twin Cities, one person at a time.] The “Transpo Convo” series asks people how they get around the city, how they would like to get around the city, and what could improve their transportation experiences around […]

One of the best things about my neighborhood is how often something “interesting” happens. Bagpipers practice in a parking lot. Tourists try to use a Nice Ride. A couple carries a full-size dining room table down the sidewalk. Zombies careen onto the bus. Rock cairns collapse when a bird lands – as designed. I benefit so much from […]

Re-designing our cities to support local food production and healthy living has been a very popular topic of late, happening against a backdrop of grassroots efforts to create networks of growing, distribution and consumption. It is interesting to watch this process unfold, seeing how farmers, advocates, and urban design professionals are envisioning and (sometimes) working […]

As we’ve moved through our week-long streets.mn lovefest, a variety of human made and natural features have been lauded, ranging from the very human parks (Rice Park) and cities (St. Paul), and the very natural features of trees and the Mississippi River. Today, I’d like to laud that intersection of human and nature: the garden. […]

The sad, forlorn Macy’s in downtown St. Paul has announced its pending closure, having reached the end of its 10 year agreement to stay open. Mayor Chris Coleman says that the closing presents “tremendous opportunity.” We’re sure. The site is one of 4 downtown stops for the new Central Corridor light rail line. It’s also […]

The farmer’s market: Among the oldest forms of direct-to-consumer sales, these truly urban agoras bring the rural to the city, and exist all around the world in some form or another. They bridge the gap between city and country with commerce, and thus, it was inevitable we at streets.mn would ask readers where their favorite […]

I will take a controversial position: trees are good. Given the amount of needless tree destruction we see, I sometimes feel in a minority. The City recently took the elm in front of our house, diminishing our shade. It was nearing end of life, and I assume diseased or at risk of disease. They have […]

The iconic suburban lawn may be losing popularity. Oh, sure. Restrictive covenants still exist, and the guy who uses his leaf blower to vacuum up the lawn mulch wearing nothing but a Speedo at 9 at night in July still wanders, white hairy chest on display, in many communities. But as suburbanites face slowed development […]

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Tom about TownLatitude 45: Latitude 45 is a 13-story high-rise apartment that is being built by Doran Construction for Alatus. Located at 301 Washington Avenue, this building is due to be complete by late 2015. It will includ...

CrossroadsRiprap grout protects bridge abutments: Bridges over Minnesota waterways need to be protected from currents by a field of interlocking angular rocks called riprap. Without these rocks along the abutment, moving water could wear away the soi...

Empty LotsThe Virtues of Two-Rate Taxation: This blog has been quiet as of late, but I’ve got a new piece up over at Streets.MN about why taxing land and buildings at different rates would encourage more productive/efficient land uses in...

Ride BoldlyOne Soccer Mom For Bike Lanes: Proposals to get St. Paul up to a higher standard of multi-modal joy abound. One key proposal is the City of St. Paul Bike Plan. It is a comprehensive approach to closing gaps in city bikeways and bik...